Three-piece lock slider with lever detent



June 27, 1961 o, J, u Ls 2,989,792

THREE-PIECE LOCK SLIDER WITH LEVER DETENT Filed April 8, 1959 22 INVENTOR 0H J Huelsfer 5 37 lo 17 I8 )0 AMW TTORNEY United States Patent @fiFice 2,989,792 Patented June 27, 1961 2,989,792 THREE-PIECE LOCK SL'IDER WITH LEVER DETENT Otto J. Huelster, Lake Plymouth, Conn., assignor to Scovill Manufacturing Company, Waterbury, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Filed Apr. 8, 1959, Ser. No. 805,008 4 Claims. (Cl. 24-20514) This invention relates to lock sliders for zipper fasteners and particularly for zipper fasteners intended for use with dungarees, trousers or similar garments.

Various problems have been encountered in the use of many types of lock sliders for zipper fasteners when used on such garments as dungarees or trousers. Among the things desired in such lock sliders are:

(1) that the pull tab move to locking position without any particular effort of the user;

(2) that the slider remain unlocked when the pull tab is in the vertical position on the backward position so as to permit opening of the fastener by a tearing action;

(3) that the slider should have no sharp or bulky projections which might punch holes through the overlying flap in a pressing operation even when the pull tab is lying in its upward position;

(4) that in the event the locking projection should lodge on top of one of the zipper teeth rather than between them, it should not be subject to being crushed in a pressing operation;

(5) that the slider should consist of a minimum number of parts capable of economical manufacture and pleasing in appearance.

While other sliders have represented attempts to solve one or more of the above problems, it is the object of my invention to provide a novel form of slider which will accomplish the solution to all of those problems.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for the purpose of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my improved slider;

FIG. 2 is a plan view;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section through the front portion of the slider showing the locking position;

FIG. 4 is a similar cross-section showing the pull tab in vertical position with the slider unlocked;

FIG. 5 is a similar cross-section with the pull tab in the upper position and the slider unlocked; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the three parts of the slider before assembly.

The slider may be of the usual form having front and back plates 7 and 8 respectively connected at the upper end by a neck 9, which in this instance, has an indentation or recess 10 opening to the upper end of the slider. Projecting from the central area of the front plate are a pair of laterally-spaced pull-attaching ears 11 which may be in the form of loops struck up from the front plate, but at any rate having holes 12 to form bearings for the pull tab.

The locking member is essentially a lever 13 formed preferably of thin flat stainless steel and having its upper end 14 reversely bent under a lug 15 of the slider which projects into the recess 10 in the slider neck 9. This lever extends downwardly in a recess 16 in front face of the slider, then in the region of the ears 11 is bent slightly inwardly where the recess 16 may be somewhat deeper and thence angularly to an opening 17 in the front wing and terminating at its forward end in a locking projection 18 adapted to extend through the opening 17 and engage between the fastener elements to lock the slider in the usual manner.

The pull tab is generally a rectangular fiat piece of metal 19 having spaced-apart bifurcations 20 at its inner end which terminate in pivots or bearings 21 adapted to fit into the holes 12 in the ears 11 whereby the pull tab is pivotally connected to the slider. Between the bifurcations 20, the pull tab has a depressed portion 22 projecting into the space between the ears 11 and having a hole 23 in this projecting portion. The end of such projecting portion beyond the hole 23 may be described as a cam portion 24 which as seen in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 is eccentric with respect to the pivotal axis of the pull tab both in a direction downwardly or toward the narrow end of the slider and in a direction inwardly or toward the back plate 8 of the slider. This cam section 24 is preferably square or at any rate, has a flat portion 25 adapted to bear against and hold the locking lever in locked position as in FIG. 3; a fiat portion 26 adapted to bear against the locking member when the latter is in its vertical position, and a flat portion 2-7 adapted to bear against the locking member when the pull tab is in its reverse or back position as seen in FIG. 5.

As mentioned above, means are provided for enabling movement of the pull tab to locked position without a special effort to hold it in its vertical position or in reverse or back position and in both of the latter positions, the slider is unlocked. For this purpose, a tongue 28 is struck out of the locking lever and reversely bent to overlie the cam portion 24. This is a yielding tongue which grips the square portion of the cam and thus acts to control the pull tab in that it will tend to snap into and be retained in either its downward locked position, its vertical position or its reverse or upward position. Since the cam is eccentric in the manner described, it will push and hold the locking member in locked position only when the pull is swung to the down position in FIG. 3 and will hold the locking member in unlocked position in either of the other positions shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.

It will be observed that there is nothing unusual or expensive about the problem of manufacturing of the slider or pull tab 19. The locking lever may be a small thin stainless steel piece which is also easy to manufacture. Furthermore, the manner of assembly will be quite obvious. The locking lever 13 is inserted endwise from the upper end of the slider so that the bent portion 14 hooks under the lug 15 and so that the locking projection 18 extends through the hole 17, then the pull tab 19 is moved from the narrow end of the slider so that the cam 24 comes between the body portion of the locking lever and the overhanging spring tongue 28, and finally, the bifurcations 20 are bent inwardly forcing the pivots 21 into the openings 12 in the ears 11 to lock the entire assembly together.

It will now be observed that even when the pull tab '19 is moved to its reverse or upper position, there are no long or sharp projections which might cause damage in a pressing operation. The entire height of the slider is kept to a minimum particularly when it is seen that the major portion of the locking lever 13 is recessed into the front plate of the slider. Any portion of the locking lever that may lie above the surface of the front plate 7 may be received in the depressed portion 22 of the pull tab 19.

It will also be evident that even if the locking projection 18 might lodge on top of a fastener element rather than in a space between the fastener elements, there is little likelihood of any damage being done since no substantial direct pressure can be brought to bear against the locking lever when pressure on the exposed end portions of the lever near its pivoted end would be likely to spring that portion of the lever against the slider before crushing of the locking projection 18.

What is claimed:

1. A lock slider for zipper fasteners comprising front and back plates connected at one end by a neck, a pair the front plate, a locking lever pivoted at one end adjacent said neck and extending downwardly over the front plate between said ears and having a locking projection at its other end adapted to extend through an opening in the front plate forwardly of said ears, a pull tab having spaced-apart bifurcations pivoted in said ears, and a cam on said pull tab which is eccentric both downwardly and inwardly toward the back plate with respect to the pivotal axis of the pull tab when the tab is swung downwardly against the slider whereby said locking lever is cammed inwardly to locking position only when the pull tab is swung downwardly against the slider, a portion of said locking lever extending over the top of said cam and yieldingly gripping the cam against the adjacent face of the locking lever, said cam having flat portions adapted to cooperate with said yielding gripping means, to retain the pull tab in either its downward position where the slider is locked, its vertical position or its upper position.

2. A lock slider as defined in claim 1, wherein said cam is substantially square in cross-section.

3. A lock slider as defined in claim 1, wherein said locking lever is recessed into the front plate of the slider.

4. A lock slider as defined in claim 1, wherein said slider has an upwardly extending lug at the upper end of the slider and said locking lever has its upper end reversely bent under said lug to form a pivotal connection.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,053,463 Conlin Sept. 8, 1936 2,373,523 Winterhalter Apr. 10, 1945 2,496,664 Haidegger Feb. 7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 209,798 Australia June 11, 1957 

